Vinyl Me Please (store, exclusives, swaps, etc)
- Thread starter Captainfog
- Start date
Rowan
Well-Known Member
Eh, yeah man. Good luck with that
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I think VMP will slowly start going in that direction though in the future!
This is how I feel
I’ve kept the stock alert for Cowboy Bepob at 200! If I see the stock count creep below that number, I’ll be keeping a close eye on that exclusive! I’m so glad VMP did an exclusive of that Soundtrack! The colour variant looks amazing too! I just don’t want to spend too much money on vinyl right now as I know next week I’ll be spending a lot on the Herbie Hancock Anthology Boxset!
I am very happy with the three store exclusives that dropped today! Two audiophile pressings of great jazz albums, and a very good looking variant of a classic soundtrack that should sound great on wax!
All three exclusives were expensive ones, but two of them were very high quality releases in terms of its pressing details, and the other already was quite a pricey exclusive! I want VMP to focus more on audiophile pressings in the future, even if it means they’ll be USD$10 more expensive! I rather pay more money if I know the vinyl is going to sound great and is going to get pressed at a plant that produces quality vinyl, especially as it decreases the likelihood of getting a warped record and is less noisy!
Agreed, I was pretty happy with the 3 exclusives to drop today too. Bebop was pricey but not ridiculously more so than others and I love this color.
Chet Baker is solid too. I already have the RSD version of 'It could happen to you' or I would definitely grab that. 'In New York' may happen if it sticks around and I have a cheaper few weeks (especially since Ill be copping that Herbie Anthology too).
Rowan
Well-Known Member
Really? Because at the minute in the store they seem to be relentlessly churning out exactly the same stuff as everyone with little to differentiate them other than a funky colour and a higher price point. I thought the APs might be a shift in direction but really the Chets are the first things that aside for a while I've seen worth jumping on and even these aren't unique to them. Basically if I could grab them from Craft for the same price I would. I don't see any shift to Pure Pleasure/ Sam/ AP activity going on. Heres hoping I'm wrong. For you more than anything as you seem a good lad, are clearly really invested in them and maybe deserve something back for your Glenn Close-esq devotion than a few scratchy and wobbly records in a blazing shade of raspberry.I think VMP will slowly start going in that direction though in the future!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I’m happy with everything I get from VMP! I cut down on purchasing new release exclusives from them because I don’t care for those vinyl presses as much anymore. All their three ROTM tracks are great and all usually sound great too! Most of their ‘reissue’ exclusives, even though they are not truly exclusive to VMP still sound great! I made my cut with VMP in the new releases department, just like I cut ends with BlueNote80 after the quality control dropped with their series/too many severe warps. I will always support the Blue Note Tone Poet series however, as they are for the most part amazing!
This year, I’ve gotten more scratchy and wobbly records from Blue Note than VMP, and I purchase more records from VMP.
I’ve been literally getting wobbly records from everywhere though. I got a few bad warps from Analogue Productions in my last order, some bad warps from Sam Records and some severe warps from Wax Buyers Club, Urban Outfitters, Newbury Comics and Rough Trade too. I get my records professionally flattened now, and my local does a great job at them, but I’ve been now put off from buying anywhere apart from Amazon, Acoustic Sounds (Analogue Productions) and VMP! Only exception is getting the Sade Boxset from her site! No more purchases from Bandcamp and so many other places because I don’t want to spend as much on vinyl.
After getting 3 badly warped records from both Sam Records, Acoustic Sounds and both vinyl in my recent Wax Buyers Club and half of my RSD days purchases being warped, I’ve come to the conclusion that vinyl production is fucked when it comes to quality control. I’ve accepted though and am happy to get records flattened, but I only want to purchase via Amazon, Acoustic Sounds and VMP really as they have the best prices for me and the best return policy/defected vinyl policy. Exception will be when I have to buy Channel ORANGE from Frank Ocean’s website!
Literally got my RTJ4 pink vinyl yesterday and both discs were badly warped!
Everywhere is fucked!
QRP and RTI are where the warps don’t happen as much though, as Blue Note Tone Poet, VMP Classics and MoFi and AP pressings for the most part don’t have any warps and when they do, it’s very minor!
Crabbers
Well-Known Member
I did...I mean all they do know are variants. Next will be deltron 3030, just like Newbury’s hundred different versions
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the rant @Rowan but because I’ve been splurging so much on vinyl recently and have been listening a lot to vinyl etc, I see a pattern and it really is true that QRP and RTI is where I have much less problems with vinyl.
Look at what @Mather says about GZ Media! They’re so problematic. But Mather will still buy a VMP pressing that’s manufactured by GZ because VMP are very generous with their returns policy. That’s why I stay too - VMP are great like that. Rough Trade, Urban Outfitters, Newbury Comics.....not so much in my experience! So they’re all permanent goodbye’s from me!
I didn’t even purchase the UO exclusive of Mariah Carey’s Butterfly and that’s my favourite Mariah Carey album! It’s $10 cheaper than the VMP exclusives and will sound the same, but UO won’t replace my items and will want me to send the item back to them at my cost etc. That just shows you how much it means to me when a company takes full responsibility for sending me a faulty copy.
If I get a warped VMP vinyl, I show VMP a video and ask for $10 credit, as it costs me $10 to get it flattened! They’re happy to do this and it works smoothly for me, especially if the album is OOS and couldn’t be replaced.
My local cleans the records and does a really good job at flattening them! They play quietly too and don’t get any surface noise from the flattening. I have a vinyl flat and everytime I’ve tried to flatten a record, and have done so, it’s created surface noise that wasn’t previously there.
Look at what @Mather says about GZ Media! They’re so problematic. But Mather will still buy a VMP pressing that’s manufactured by GZ because VMP are very generous with their returns policy. That’s why I stay too - VMP are great like that. Rough Trade, Urban Outfitters, Newbury Comics.....not so much in my experience! So they’re all permanent goodbye’s from me!
I didn’t even purchase the UO exclusive of Mariah Carey’s Butterfly and that’s my favourite Mariah Carey album! It’s $10 cheaper than the VMP exclusives and will sound the same, but UO won’t replace my items and will want me to send the item back to them at my cost etc. That just shows you how much it means to me when a company takes full responsibility for sending me a faulty copy.
If I get a warped VMP vinyl, I show VMP a video and ask for $10 credit, as it costs me $10 to get it flattened! They’re happy to do this and it works smoothly for me, especially if the album is OOS and couldn’t be replaced.
My local cleans the records and does a really good job at flattening them! They play quietly too and don’t get any surface noise from the flattening. I have a vinyl flat and everytime I’ve tried to flatten a record, and have done so, it’s created surface noise that wasn’t previously there.
Rowan
Well-Known Member
I was sorting through a pile to clean yesterday and I pulled out about 4 or 5 VMP records from god knows when that are unopened. I dread to think what sort of condition they're in and it would just infuriate me if they're bolloxed (as I fully expect them to be if I'm honest). I don't have that level of apprehension with anyone else... But a bit of that may because they'll get a bit of a buffeting when they're coming across a big ocean and are stored substandardly during shipping...
But all my Sam stuff, pure pleasure and WBC stuff has been fine. Possibly doesnt have as far to travel though.
Bloodlemons
Well-Known Member
Which records are we talking about? Were they still in the mailer? I am bad, but I rarely forget about albums coming through the door...
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Philly Joe is the MAN!!! Seriously good drummer and if im unfamiliar with an album but see he is a side-man I usually risk the purchase. In fact, he feature in a crazy amount of the 'big time' jazz releases, such as John Coltrane - Blue Train, Art Pepper - Meets The Rhythm Section, Miles Davis - Round About Midnight, Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin, Hank Mobley - The Turnaround , Lee Morgan - The Cooker, etc.@Selaws - I’m listening to Chet Baker in New York and I love the album! I think I prefer it more than ‘It Could Happen To You’! The drumming on Chet Baker in New York is spectacular, especially on the songs Solar, When Lights Are Low & Soft Winds!
I had to look up who was playing the drums and it’s a man named Philly Joe Jones! I did some research on him and he turns out to be both Miles Davis and Bill Evans favourite drummer of all-time!
Just listen to the last few minutes of the track ‘Soft Winds’ - Philly Joe Jones steals the show! I was blown away by his performance on that track!!!
Tina’d Chet Baker In New York! The colour variant looks gorgeous and the fact that this album was pressed at RTI, Kevin Gray, AAA and 180g made it an easy call! A much, much, much better exclusive than Chet Baker’s Mister B both in terms of pressing details and as an album!
As a bonus anecdote, there's a great story in Miles Davis' autobiography where he says that Philly Joe used to spend all his money on drugs before he had a chance to pay hotel bills. He would throw his suitcase out the window of his room, head down to reception and tell them he had to pop out to get money before he could pay them. They would lock his room to stop him leaving with his stuff, and he would simply go around the back of the hotel, pick up his suitcase and leave.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I’m surprised that I had some really badly warped Sam Records vinyl. Maybe it is much more likely for me to receive warped records because I live in Australia and because of shipping.
If that is the case, that’s a real bummer because it will be why I only purchase at a few online retailers now.
I haven’t told Sam Records about my warps yet because I’m getting the records flattened. When I pick them up and play them, if they play perfectly, I’ll let it go. Only purchase from Sam Records I’ll make is when they release a ‘boutique’ vinyl like they did with Donald Byrd as that is truly something special!
Rowan
Well-Known Member
I just live with slight rolls if it doesn't impact on sound and isn't so bad my arm goes round the room and back to track the thing. But I've found Rough Trade (UK) to be great. Newbury are far to expensive once shipping and customs kick in so I swerve but most Bandcamp sites have been brilliant. Guruguru Brain had a replacement with me in 3 days and responded to my email on the same afternoon.
Ah well
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
I’m a massive Philly Joe fan now! I love the guy! He generally outperformed Chet Baker on his own album in the tracks where he was present! He really was the star in my opinion on Chet Baker In New York!
That’s crazy Philly Joe did that kinda stuff though! Just shows you the impact drugs can have on someone! That’s absolutely wild!
I love the drumming on Lee Morgan’s The Cooker so much! Can’t believe that’s Philly Joe!!! Thanks for telling me more about him and those albums he performed on! I’m so happy you’re a massive fan of his work too!
Rowan
Well-Known Member
I was living with my parents for a few months in between house completions so I'm guessing they were the ones that were delivered then. They just went straight on the shelf while I was sorting the house and I didn't think about them again. I'm tempted to pretend I didn't see them to be honest
Crabbers
Well-Known Member
In another month they will
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Rough Trade UK have been pissing me off. I’ve been trying to contact them for over a month but have gotten no reply. I even contacted them on Instagram but no reply. I’ve contacted them like 4 times and I feel like they don’t want to refund me. They can’t replace the item I purchased because it’s OOS - but I’m cool with a refund. I purchased Madvillainy Sire Edition and paid $AUD84!
This is what I received from them. Both discs were incredibly warped, some of the worst I’ve ever seen:
Never again with Rough Trade UK. Very unhappy with how they’ve dealt with me.
@Mather - Look at how bad these warps on both discs for Madvillainy are. And this is my favourite album of all time!
